Cedarburg priest put on leave amid abuse allegation

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- A Cedarburg priest has been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into an allegation that he sexually abused a minor in 1977.

Archbishop Jerome Listecki said in a letter Friday to parishioners at St. Francis Borgia Catholic Parish that the Rev. Tom Eichenberger denies the allegation, that it has not been substantiated, and that it's the first such complaint lodged against him.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports the allegation stems from a claim filed in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case, which accuses Eichenberger of molesting a seventh-grade boy at Holy Assumption Parish in West Allis.

The archdiocese reported the allegation to the district attorney's office last month, but it declined to prosecute, saying the alleged incident was beyond the statute of limitations. A private investigator will now investigate.